Crystallization of Supercooled Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10B23 Melts During Continuous Heating and Cooling

Abstract

AbstractThe crystallization behavior of the bulk glass forming Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 liquid was studied under different heating and cooling rates. Investigations were performed in high purity graphite crucibles since heterogeneous surface nucleation at the container walls does not effect the crystallization of the bulk sample. A rate of about 1 K/s is sufficient to circumvent crystallization of the melt while cooling from the equilibrium melt. In contrast, upon heating a rate of more than 150 K/s is necessary to avoid crystallization of Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 samples. The difference between the critical heating and cooling rate is discussed within classical nucleation theory and diffusion limited crystal growth. The calculated difference of the critical heating and cooling rate can be explained by the fact that nuclei formed during cooling and heating are expose to different growth rates.